A new tour with some new twists

Richard Dunn

Billed as the fan-friendliest organization in professional sports,

the PGA Champions Tour stops for the Toshiba Senior Classic at

Newport Beach Country Club with a new name, new agenda and new

attitude.

The former Senior PGA Tour changed its name to the Champions Tour

as part of the PGA Tour’s “rebranding” project.

The 50-and-over senior professional golf circuit, which started in

1980 with Arnold Palmer as the headliner, changed its name as part of

an overall strategy to unite the three tours under the PGA Tour brand

identity and to capitalize on the global strength of the PGA Tour’s

swinging golfer icon, which is incorporated into the new logos of

both tours.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said the “rebranding of the

Senior Tour to the Champions Tour signifies a dynamic future

direction that coincides with the full implementation in 2003 of our

new platform that is bringing fans ‘inside the ropes’ while also

providing them with valuable game-improvement information.”

Among the fan friendly initiatives, which were new last year but

most not implemented until this year, include dropping the ropes

behind the final group. The Toshiba Senior Classic did that last year

after all three rounds on the final three holes, with the Saturday

and Sunday galleries fairly sizable.

“You’re walking right in there behind the players and watching

their shots,” Toshiba Classic Tournament Director Jeff Purser said.

“The sad thing about watching golf on TV is that you can’t really

tell if it’s a great shot, because TV is two-dimensional. The great

thing about dropping the ropes is that you get to stand right behind

them and watch their shots.”

Perhaps the most successful fan-friendly initiative last year at

the Toshiba Classic was the introduction of the post-round Q & A

session.

After the Saturday round, Purser rounded up Chi Chi Rodriguez and

Fuzzy Zoeller, who were miked up and sitting together high on a

scaffolding near the first tee. The crowd loved it.

This year, Purser announced that Gary McCord and John Jacobs will

entertain the crowd after the first round in a Q & A session with

fans, while Rodriguez and Zoeller will repeat their stage feat after

the second round.

Of the tour’s fan-friendly initiatives, it is up to each

tournament director to implement whatever feature(s) he or she sees

fit.

New this year for sponsors in hospitality tents is the chance to

wine and dine with a member of the Champions Tour.

Purser said if you wanted to invite a Champions Tour professional

to your tent for dinner, it could be arranged for the right price.

When asked what the going rate is for a pro to come to your corporate

villa and impress your guests and clients, Purser started to say it

would be different for each golfer.

“Then again, maybe if you’re Dave Stockton, and if you have really

good wine -- and we have a good (vintage) here -- maybe (the cost) is

nothing,” Purser told a group of sponsors. “I’m sure there are guys

who would do it for 15 or 20 minutes and there might not be a cost --

depending on how they played that day, of course. There are guys like

Bruce Fleisher and Gil Morgan who are just great guys ... I’ll go out

and recruit. I’ll do that for you.”

Other new initiatives at the Toshiba Classic this year include the

Honorary Observer contest, in which several golf fans will be inside

the ropes during the championship rounds. Some will even be swinging

clubs.

Winners of the Toshiba Classic Honorary Observer will be allowed

to walk inside the ropes with a marquee pairing of Champions Tour

players. There will be two winners for each day of championship play

(March 21-23), a total of six winners. Each winner can also bring one

guest inside the ropes.

Those six winners will join 44 others in the Cadillac Hole-in-One

Challenge on the 18th hole at Newport Beach Country Club following

the final round of play. The participants, who will be firing at a

green encircled by skyboxes and a Sunday crowd, all get one shot at

the hole. The first to make a hole-in-one will win a new Cadillac

Escalade. If nobody wins the car, a $500 consolation prize will be

awarded to the golfer who is closest to the pin.

Each participant will tee off from a temporary tee set up at the

18th fairway approximately 160 yards from the hole (not the official

18th tee that’s 510 yards away from the green). Each participant

receives two tickets to the final round.

“We expect this to be a popular promotion,” Purser said. “We’ve

never had fans inside the ropes for 18 holes, let alone shooting for

the same 18th pin that just challenged the pros.”

There are new cart rules. Caddies are no longer permitted to ride

in a cart at any time during an official round, and bags are also

banned. Golf cart weather covers and heaters have also been axed.

The 2003 Champions Tour Golf Cart Rules and Guidelines stipulates

“a consistent no-cart provision in Champions Tour Major Championships

and the Champions Tour Championship. Players and caddies, however,

are allowed to ride in carts during pro-am and practice rounds.”

Other implementation of fan-friendly initiatives include the

“Caddie of the Day” promotion, in which a few lucky fans are selected

to serve as caddies in a pro-am. There is also a lottery to play with

Fuzzy Zoeller in the Monday Pro-Am.

Last year, players were miked up during rounds and gave television

interviews between shots.

“The secret to the interviews is probably to have somebody that

knows how to interview and knows when to interview,” defending

Toshiba champion and leading money winner Hale Irwin said. “Maybe it

should be the other way around. Know when to and what questions to

ask. We generally turn to other players for those interviews, just

more receptive to somebody who has been there rather than someone you

are not familiar with.

“There are certain problems that come about that I think have to

be dealt with. Maybe it’s just an eye contact with the announcer,

like ‘yes, I’m OK to have an interview now.’ You don’t want to be

interfered with by conversation and I think that move has to come

from the player first and that’s usually decided before you even tee

off ... all those initiatives are great. The interviews are great. I

think it gives a little insight as to what the player might be

thinking and I think it adds some appeal to the telecast.”

The tour also has a new station on first-round Fridays -- the Golf

Channel.